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Egypt's Ancient Wonders

By Bruce Lowrance

Egypt is a poor Arab country, colonized by England, and then freed in the mid-20^th century, with a deep rich past that goes back to the very beginnings of civilization. Stand still at any location in Egypt, stop and notice the Egyptians around you, watch how they interact with each other and the foreigners, listen to the sound of their voices, touch the objects they display before you to sell.

You will sense an ancient culture, poor perhaps, but steeped in a tradition of warmly welcoming guests with heart-felt invitations. Travelers to Egypt enjoy an almost royal experience with every amenity and service immediately available in contrast to the average Egyptian in white cloth and sandals walking a dusty road. Theirs is a culture so different from ours that just being among them offers a rich, lasting experience. And the sights, the temples, massive stone carvings, the pyramids are ancient, not just old like Europe, but ancient, thousands of years old. The complexity of this ancient culture brought out by the hieroglyphics, the enormity and intricate detail of the stone structures, carvings and art that they left behind are truly awe-inspiring.

Every serious traveler should go to Egypt at least once. The Great Pyramids, the elaborate temples of Luxor, the remote and ingeniously reconstructed temple of Abu Simbel all seem wonders of the world on returning from a trip to Egypt. The photo opportunities of Egypt are all encompassing and so rapidly pass in front of your camera lens, it isn’t until you return home that the full impact of the experience unfolds.

The international flights come into Cairo, and most people start there. I enjoyed seeing the Coptic Monasteries and the maize of streets in and around the area. It was a stop along the subway, very easy to find, and a relaxing morning. The area was surprisingly quiet compared to the six-lane avenues of central Cairo. The structures of the monasteries were all below ground level by as much as two meters setting them off from the shops and everyday activities going on above. There were wooden carvings, paintings, tapestries, the fragrance of incense and a great deal of history. The Coptic Monasteries made for a slow and relaxing start to my first day in Cairo.

At the hotel I was told the famous Egyptian Museum might be a place you would want to visit both at the beginning and end of your trip. It seemed like a good idea to me, and then after seeing the museum I was convinced. One could never see it all in a single day. A trip back after learning a little more of the history would be a good idea.

The artifacts from Tutankhamen’s Tomb are some of the most fascinating objects I have ever seen. The bulky weight of the gold jewelry, the almost miniature chariots that were actually used, and of course the gold mask of Tutankhamen seemed worth the whole trip to be able to see first hand. And this was just a small part of the museum. It went on and on. I had come to the museum early in the morning and left early afternoon out of exhaustion from walking, not because I had seen it all. I would have to come back.

The first class train that runs south, up the Nile, to Aswan leaves in the evening and arrives early morning the next day. My seat was comfortable, leaning all the way back, and wide. There were only three seats across the inside of the car. As we pulled out of Cairo the countryside came into view. As the sun came up the following morning, date palms, water buffalo, and large stretches of land with small mounds of dirt aligned one after another passed outside of our window. There were no markings on these graves. The people were dressed in the simplest of clothing; the houses were made of earth. I like the country, and I was looking forward to being out among these people.

I don’t speak Arabic, but with out any language skills at all, I knew there would be a way to experience something of the character of the Egyptians. One thing that struck me in Cairo was the relative ease of crossing a wide avenue of streaming cars. There were no stop lights or any lapse of swarming cars, no lines delineating lanes. The cars just came on weaving and moving as fast a possible. But if, like the Egyptians, one steps out into that mayhem, the cars give way. They measure your pace as you walk and allow you to make it to the other side, swarming every which way around you without even a honk of the horn. I have never seen this in any other country. The Egyptians are a sympathetic people with respect for the individual.

Aswan has the feel of a small town compared to Cairo. There are small walking streets lined with tourist shops selling reproductions of ancient papyrus scrolls, fragrances and cookware. I smelled bread and decided to see how I could do at a bakery on a side street. They were making sandwich-size pieces of bread in a large brick and clay oven, putting them in, turning them around to cook evenly, and pulling them out with a long wooden tool that looked like an extended oar with a long flat end. I didn’t have a coin to buy just one. He understood that I only wanted one, smiled and gave me the piece of bread. He wouldn’t take that smallest bill of Egypt that is worth only about 25 cents no matter how much I pressed it on him. He just made a hand motion that looked like “next time.”  I went back.

The slow, easy feel of Aswan kept me there for four days. I could walk to the bank of the Nile and watch the feluccas sailing lazily back and forth with their single primitive-looking sail, have dinner at one of the many restaurants suspended over the cool flowing water of the Nile, or walk to the market and negotiate for fruit. The small-town atmosphere made it easy to meet other tourists. Aswan is the place from which people fly further south to Abu Simbel to see the oldest and largest of temples. I decided to go north to Luxor, so I chartered a felucca for the two-day ride with friends I had recently met.

This turned out to be not such a good idea I don’t recommend it. The trip was a primitive, rough ride, and I abandoned the boat half way through, catching the train for the rest of the journey down the Nile to Luxor. This was also rough. The local, day train had wooden, straight-back seats. All the windows were open allowing the searing desert heat to rush through. I had a taste of common life in Egypt that day, and one day was enough.

On arriving in Luxor, the first thing I noticed was the plethora of horse and carriages. They’re everywhere, and seem to replace the taxis, but have a lot more charm and are fun to ride. Luxor is the location of the Valley of the Kings and Queens, the tombs of the more recent Pharaohs buried deep underground to evade the tomb robbers. Of course all the riches were stolen except for those of Tutankhamen that are now at the museum in Cairo. The Temples of Karnak and Luxor are also here. It’s a place you don’t want to miss.

I spent my first couple of days here seeing the tombs on the opposite side of the Nile. I was amazed at how the paint on the walls had lasted over three millennia. Some of the tombs have been restored and the hieroglyphics on these walls and ceilings show in brilliant detail. The hieroglyphics tell the story of each Pharaoh buried under the hills and his times. Tour guides translate and interpret, bringing life to a time in the distant past. The tombs are cool and damp, a great relief from the hot, dry desert above.

On my second day going to the Valley of the Kings, I took the ferry to the other side of the river, as everyone does, and then instead of taking a taxi for the three-mile or so distance, I thought it might be more interesting to walk. Along the way I stopped at an almost empty cafeteria that was filled with photographs of the excavation of Tutankhamen’s tomb. I saw a kid driving a donkey cart carrying a 55 gallon drum of fuel. I motioned that I wanted a ride; he smiled and waved me on. When I got off he had a broad grin and said “baksheesh.”  That’s one Arabic word I know, and I was happy to be able to hand over a bill.

The Temple of Karnak is the location from which Napoleon carted off the giant obelisk that now stands in Paris. Its mate remains, and since it was carved out of granite, the hieroglyphs have kept their sharp detail. I arrived in late afternoon, wandered around this very large temple, and then saw the Sound and Light Show in the early evening. It was outstanding 

Back in Cairo I did visit the Egyptian Museum one more time, and had one more look the Great Pyramids of Giza with their enduring look of solidity set off by the red sunset of a dust-blown desert.